The present invention relates to a gunsight system for a firearm allowing faster target acquisition and providing a more precise aiming point. More particularly, the system utilizes a plurality of light gathering means to accurately define an aiming point while providing immediate target acquisition.
During the years, firearm sights have been improved consistently to provide a user more accuracy under nearly all conditions. The use of reflective materials, light-gathering flourescent fibers and fiber optics have been utilized to design highly visible gun sights under all conditions, including low-light.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,878,503 (the ""503 Patent) to Howe et al., and assigned to the assignee of the present application, discloses a high visibility gun sight system for detachable mounting on a gun barrel. The system uses a light-gathering plastic rod to provide a highly visible gun sight in low light conditions. As taught by the ""503 Patent, the gun sight system, including the plastic rod, is mounted on an upper surface of a gun barrel in line with a raised bead sight normally manufactured near a distal end of the gun barrel. The plastic rod thereby instantly attracts a user""s focus under circumstances that the raised bead will not.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,638,604 (the ""604 Patent) to Lorocco discloses various configurations of sighting devices for projectile type weapons. Each design configuration employs light-gathering flourescent fiber to gather and amplify natural light. In one embodiment illustrated in FIG. 14 of the ""604 Patent, three individual light-gathering fibers form a sight plane for aiming within a scope housing. Set screws permit said light-gathering fibers to be adjusted within the scope housing.
While the ""503 and ""604 Patent disclose useful gun sights, the need exists to implement a gun sight system, for all firearms most notably a shotgun with a ventilated ribbed barrel, able to accurately define an aiming point while allowing immediate target acquisition. The present invention utilizes a front and rear sight each including light-gathering means to define a precise aiming point providing immediate target acquisition. Triangular ends of said light-gathering means viewable by a user clearly define an aiming point.
The system of the present invention includes a rear and front sight each having colored light-gathering means as known in the art. Said front sight comprises a base member, retaining an elongated light-gathering rod, mounted to a gun barrel spaced from a muzzle end of said gun barrel. One end of said light-gathering rod viewable by a user is in the shape of a triangle directed upward.
The rear sight comprises a housing, with a retaining member for retaining an oval-shaped light-gathering rod with two ends, mounted to the gun barrel spaced rearward of said front sight. Said ends of the oval-shaped pipe define an aiming plane within a void bounded by said housing. Each end of the oval-shaped pipe viewable by the user is formed in the shape of a triangle in planar alignment with one another.
The front and rear sights are aligned such that the three pipe triangles define a precise aiming point for the user. From the user""s perspective, an upper point of the front triangle aligned flush with an imaginary line joining the rear triangles results in an accurate shot. However, both the front and rear sights include adjustable means to implement the most accurate configuration and alignment of triangles considering all circumstances.
Two methods for improving the effectiveness of the light-gathering means, and therefore the gun sight system, have further been developed. A first method provides a multi-colored light-gathering means and a second method provides a xe2x80x9chot-spotxe2x80x9d within a viewable target acquisition surface of a light-gathering means.
A multi-colored light-gathering viewing surface is formed by separately fabricating two light-gathering halves of different colors. Preferably, the two halves are fabricated with commonly known injection molding techniques. For example, the front sight of the present invention having the triangular viewing surface can be formed with an orange base and a green apex area. An elongated upper portion is molded such that an under-surface is flat along its entire length. At a viewing end, the upper section includes a triangular portion that will form an apex area of a complete triangular viewing area. An elongated lower portion is molded such that an upper-surface is flat along its entire length. At a viewing end, the lower section includes a triangular portion, having a flattened top, that will form a base of the complete triangular viewing area. The flat surfaces of the upper section and lower section are then joined by ultrasonic welding techniques. The joining of the two halves forms a complete triangular viewing area at one end thereof. Alternative means for joining the halves, or any number of members, are possible without departing from the scope and spirit of the method.